SINGAPORE, BRUNEI & MANILA

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We always look forward to visiting Singapore as it is rapidly becoming one of our favorite ports of call. It is especially nice to arrive in the oasis of calm after visiting all of the megacities in Asia. Every time we come to Singapore we discover a new and interesting neighborhood or market or person. This trip we went with Jeanne in her private car on a tour of the city. We had lunch in a restaurant in a former convent school which was built in the 1800s. CHIJMES (Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus…) is a group of beautiful old buildings with high ceilings and grand staircases where former classrooms have been turned into chic arts and crafts shops and the girls’ cafeteria is now a lovely Chinese restaurant. After lunch we made the obligatory stop at Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling. The charge is about $20 for the drink—which I would say is a bit of a tourist trappy thing. But it is fun to hang out at this classy old hotel which is the epitome of colonial elegance. The famous Long Bar was the watering hole for the likes of Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward, and Rudyard Kipling.

We took the monorail out to Sentosa Island which is quickly being turned into a Disneyland type of place. In the past we have enjoyed escaping to this green oasis just off shore from Singapore where we would rent bikes to cruise around the island and would often encounter wild monkeys and beautiful peacocks amid the jungle foliage. Recently a giant casino has opened and work is being completed on a castle and carnival rides and a Hard Rock Hotel. Nothing remains the same—except Chinatown. We love the Singapore Chinatown. It is a vibrant area of the city especially now because of the Lunar New Year celebration. The food stalls and souvenir stands have everything including batik shirts and silk purses and Chinese charms. You can even get a henna tattoo as a semi-permanent souvenir. The weather was perfect for us—hot and humid! On our way out to sea we saw hundreds of container and tanker ships swinging on anchors. Captain Dag said it was a sign of the current economic morass.

This was our second visit to the Sultanate of Brunei and it is quite a fascinating place. It has been ruled by the same family since the 14th century and is one of the richest countries in the world thanks to its abundant supply of oil. We took a shuttle to the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan where the Royal Palace is located. The Sultan’s humble abode has 1788 rooms and 257 bathrooms and 5 swimming pools. There is a little trouble in paradise as the Sultan has lost about $30 billion of his fortune through bad investments, corruption and extreme extravagances like 350 Rolls Royces, eight jets and over 200 thoroughbred horses. But the local populace holds the Sultan in high esteem as he provides them with free education and health care and a very high standard of living. A few years ago he paid a huge sum of money for Joe Montana to come to Brunei to give his sons some pointers on passing a football.

We hooked up with Bob and Mary and hired a boat to take us to the Kampong Ayer water village. The village is comprised of stilt homes for over 30,000 people along with schools, fire stations, markets and hospitals; all perched out over the Brunei Lagoon. Practically every home had laundry flapping in the breeze and barking dogs and kids running around—with no life vests in evidence. There is a stunning Mosque in the center of town with gold covered domes and graceful minarets.

Manila is always the most anticipated stop on the itinerary especially for the Filipino crew on board as they get to spend a day with their wives or husbands and children and mothers and fathers and any other relative who can make their way to the wharf.

We went on the Virtuoso group tour into the countryside south of the city. Two motorcycle police escorts got us through the absolute gridlock of Manila traffic. They took us down one way streets—going the wrong way, through red lighted intersections and around a traffic accident. We would never have made it back to the ship by departure time without this escort. We went to Tagaytay City overlooking Taal Lake which was formed by the Taal Volcano. It is a beautiful location and at 2100’ above sea level it is a favorite summertime escape from sweltering Manila. On the ride up and back we saw mile after mile of tin shed shanty homes and pineapple fields and wood working shops. We even saw an open-air jeepney factory. Jeepneys were originally U.S. military jeeps left over from the war. Ingenious locals stretched the body of the vehicles, decorated them with religious icons and bright paint and they became the local mode of transport. It is still an inexpensive way of getting around—but they are always stuffed to the gills with riders. After lunch and a folkloric show we made our way to the city.

Back at the ship, the cruise line had set up tents with tables and chairs on the wharf so the families could get together. Most of the passengers had put out “Do Not Disturb” signs and the Indonesian, Indian and European crew members volunteered to cover for the Filipinos in the restaurants so that the stewardess and waiters would have more time on shore. In the meantime, two of our passengers rented a ballroom at the Manila Hotel, which was General MacArthur’s WWII headquarters. Hilda and Jarmo wanted a place for the families to be able to spend time out of the heat and in a more private setting and thus they contracted with the Manila Hotel for the day. They provided snacks and soft drinks and a quiet atmosphere for the precious few hours of these family reunions. By the time we returned to the ship most of the families had drifted back to the pier in order to have the last few moments with their loved ones. There were two bands playing and kids and spouses on the pier were crying and the crew and passengers on board were waving and blowing kisses as we slipped our lines and sailed out of Manila Bay. Hilda and Jarmo said it was one of the best days of their lives to have been able to provide this brief respite for the wonderful crew whom they know and cherish. The Filipinos do so much for us passengers--it is wonderful that Hilda and Jarmo could return the favor.

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